Amal is the sixth terminally-ill child to become what she had been dreaming in her colorful childhood pristine years thanks to a charity act of a cultural institute, Fifth Happy Season, which had done odd job of organizing events during which terminally-ill children become their favorite characters including being a doctor, a head of police department, and though unfulfilled dream of being a renowned graphic artist.
The heroine of Sunday night, Amal, had dreamed of being a Cinderella princes. This provided the Institute with motives to seek measures to make her happy, an undertaking many contributed to and many provided spiritual support. On Sunday night, Ahvaz would have not been happier, since Amal’s dream was being fulfilled. She was basking in the adulation of city laymen and women whom the Institute had organized and who assumed attires of the characters of mythic Cinderella: she mounted on a cart charioted by horses clip-clopping on the red carpet, leading the princess to her beautifully designed palace using prebuilt banners. There, men were taking their European-style hats off out of tribute to this beautiful princess; just as in Cinderella, women were wearing floral head wreath, just to rejoice Amal with a jubilation of being the first and last ever Iranian little princess. Their hands will be kissed by the angles in the heavens for making young broken hearts happy.
Hoda Rashidi, the organizer of the event, told Mehr News local correspondent that the event was the 21st ceremony for terminally-ill children; “beginning last December, we embarked on the project by planting ‘wish trees’ in Naderi St. of Ahvaz; Amal, whose name is per se hope-inspiring (meaning ‘wish’), did not welcome fame, unlike Abbas (another terminally-ill child) who was to become a head of police department; neither would she countenance the fact that people know about her disease; we spoke to her to persuade her for the ceremony,” Rashidi said.
“We have in the agenda fulfilling a few other wishes by terminally-ill children; a 17-year-old such patient would have been a renowned graphic artist, but our calls for contribution were remained unanswered and the project failed; the media art society should have been more responsible in dealing the calls,” she objected.
Shima Rashidi, a founding member of the Institute joined the conversation late; “we express gratitude for the Provincial governorate which helped the project by providing the chariot; our thanks also go to all contributors, designers, and those responsible for décor of the ceremony, who were munificent in their conduct. The whole city is also subject of praise for their kind accompany as well,” she was happy to say.
The initiative is part of recent movements in Iranian setting to help the cancer children. MAHAK, Society to Support Children Suffering from Cancer, has been the major body active in collecting charity for children with cancer. It has regularly received from major celebrities of the country their support in kind or cash in the form of programs to make children happy for some moments of their grim life. Other initiative had been waging efforts to collect the supports, however, were mired in administrative unnecessary paperwork which only marred the process. The ‘wishes initiative,’ such as Fifth Happy Season, is relatively new and should develop more and more to make serious contributions to the children with cancer. But, the events organized are laudable enough to catch the attention of other interested organizations and NGOs as well as business gurus to encourage more extensive contribution and support.
Report by: Kowsar Karimi